Cognitive Function

It isn't the pink stuff that lends itself to bubble-blowing, nor does it look (or presumably taste) like the gray matter of its namesake organ. Brain Gum--small, yellowish cubes that look similar to Nicorettes--claims to surpass ginkgo biloba as a nutritional supplement intended to improve memory. While ginkgo can aid those with decreased circulation--mostly the elderly--Brain Gum and its active ingredient (phosphatidyl serine) may facilitate neurotransmitter action and synaptic communication.

Five medications have been approved to treat the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The drugs can reduce some symptoms — such as difficulties with memory, language, attention and reasoning — especially in the early stages of the disease. They can, accordingly, improve quality of life, but they don't work for everyone, and none of them works permanently. Eventually the disease will overtake the drugs' ability to compensate. Four of the medications are cholinesterase inhibitors.

Older chocoholics may have a new excuse to indulge their cravings: The dark stuff not only soothes the soul, but might also sharpen the mind. In a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, researchers reported that chocolate may help improve brain health and thinking skills in the elderly . The Boston-based team found that older people who initially performed poorly on a memory and reasoning test and also had reduced blood flow...

September 6, 2010 | By Valerie Ulene, Special to the Los Angeles Times

I'm 46, and there are days when it feels like I'm completely losing my mind. I misplace my car keys, struggle to remember details of recent conversations, and can't recall seemingly anybody's name. To help cope with my mental cloudiness, I always keep an extra set of keys nearby, write endless sticky notes to myself, and frequently opt for the generic "hello" over more personalized greetings. Strategies like these may help me get through my day, but they fail to calm the nagging concern that something is seriously wrong with me. They also do nothing to combat the other "symptoms" that have developed over the last year or two, namely trouble sleeping and a vague sense of doom and gloom.

With no cure in hand for Alzheimer's disease, many ask why someone would necessarily want an early diagnosis. But research continues to focus on detecting the earliest signs of dementia, and on the factors that give rise to some dementias or fuel their relentless progression. Those findings may point the way to prevention strategies. And they may allow physicians to recognize Alzheimer's disease and other dementias before they have taken a measurable toll. Stopping or slowing it there might be easier than reversing it, and could, for all practical purposes, be as good as a cure.

Forget that stereotype about the dumb jock. A new study reveals that kids who are more physically fit score higher on geography tests, too. Previous research has found that out-of-shape kids get lower grades in school and perform worse on tasks involving memory and other types of cognitive function. In addition, mice that exercise have better spatial learning and memory than sedentary mice. For the new study, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign wondered whether there was a correlation between physical fitness and learning.

November 14, 2011 | By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times / For the Booster Shots blog

Around the time of menopause, many women complain of mental slippage. But, as if to inflict some perverse trick upon them, cognitive scientists have found that they actually perform no more poorly than women who do not have such complaints. (Reassuring in a way: You're not losing your memory, but you may be losing your mind.) A new study finds that both the women who complain of memory problems and the cognitive scientists are right. These women haven't fallen behind -- not yet at least-- because their brains are working harder to keep up. The study, presented Sunday at the Society for Neuroscience's yearly confab -- held this year in Washington, D.C. -- recruited 22 healthy women with an average age of 57, all post-menopausal.

There's little argument that exercise is good for your body, but researchers have found that exercising to music may make you smarter too. An Ohio State University study found that verbal skills improved significantly in cardiac rehabilitation patients who exercised on a treadmill while listening to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." "There have been a number of studies that have looked at the effects of just exercise or music on cognitive function," said Charles F.

Ginkgo trees, native to China, can live as long as 1,000 years. It may be this longevity that has convinced people over the ages that the leaves can give elderly people more vigor. As far back as ancient China, ginkgo biloba was considered to be good for the heart and lungs. Extracts made from the tree's leaves continue to be among the most popular herbal remedies in the world today.

Adolescent soccer players need better education about the symptoms of concussion and dangers of playing with head injuries, medical experts said Tuesday. In a new report, the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, said that studies of the effects of "heading"--hitting the ball with the head--have been inconclusive and that additional research is needed. But the risk of concussion in contact sports, including soccer is real, according to the report.